What is Turkey Really After in Syria?

by Shireen T. Hunter Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has justified his invasion of the Kurdish-inhabited areas of northeastern Syria in terms of preventing Syrian Kurdish groups linked to Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from assisting that group’s insurgency against… Continue Reading

Burned by Trump, Iranians Report Negative Views of the United States

by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Three new waves of nationally-representative surveys conducted by the University of Maryland over the past six months paint a damning picture of the Trump administration’s Iran policy. Negative perceptions of the United States among the Iranian public… Continue Reading

Trying to Exploit Iran’s Diverse Ethnic Population to Advance a War Agenda 

by Muhammad Sahimi On September 25, during the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)—a pro-Israel, anti-Iran lobby group—held a “summit” in New York that was attended by, among others, Secretary of State Mike… Continue Reading

Can Donald Trump Make His Short and Long Game Work in the Middle East?

by Eric Bordenkircher The U.S. decision on October 13th to withdraw its forces from northeastern Syria is prudent and long overdue. The maintenance of U.S. forces in Syria was becoming increasingly precarious, and America does not need to wake up… Continue Reading